53 trivia questions from 1976, with answers
Seven rounds about 1976 for a 50th birthday party in 2026, a class reunion or a 70s night: the Bicentennial, space and gadgets, sports, films, songs, TV, and money and food. Every answer links to its source.
53 questions · 1976 trivia questions with answers · answers included
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The Bicentennial year
- 1
In 1976 the United States celebrated its Bicentennial. The 200th anniversary of what?
easy
Hint: Count back 200 years from 1976.
AnswerThe Declaration of Independence.
The biggest celebrations, from coast to coast, were on July 4, 1976.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_in_the_United_States?oldid=1381667274
- 2
Who won the 1976 presidential election?
easy
Hint: A former governor of Georgia.
AnswerJimmy Carter.
He beat the sitting president, Gerald Ford, on November 2, 1976.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_in_the_United_States?oldid=1381667274
- 3
Who was Jimmy Carter's running mate in 1976?
medium
Hint: A senator from Minnesota.
AnswerWalter Mondale.
The two narrowly beat the Republican ticket led by President Gerald Ford.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_United_States_presidential_election?oldid=1381773408
- 4
The first ever debate between vice presidential candidates was held in October 1976. Which two senators faced each other?
hard
Hint: One from Kansas, one from Minnesota.
AnswerBob Dole and Walter Mondale.
Dole was President Ford's running mate; Mondale was Jimmy Carter's.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_in_the_United_States?oldid=1381667274
- 5
Which city opened the first 4.6 miles of its new subway, the Metro, on March 27, 1976?
medium
Hint: The nation's capital.
AnswerWashington, D.C.
All rides on the first day were free.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Metro?oldid=1381159442
- 6
In July 1976, people at an American Legion convention fell ill in which city, giving Legionnaires' disease its name?
medium
Hint: The city where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
AnswerPhiladelphia.
The convention met at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel; the city was chosen to match the Bicentennial.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Philadelphia_Legionnaires'_disease_outbreak?oldid=1364405530
- 7
In 1976 the United States Naval Academy accepted women as midshipmen for the first time. In which city is the academy?
hard
Hint: The capital of Maryland.
AnswerAnnapolis, Maryland.
Congress had opened all of the service academies to women.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Naval_Academy?oldid=1380470622
- 8
In a blind tasting in Paris in May 1976, later called the Judgment of Paris, which state's wines beat the French?
medium
Hint: A West Coast state.
AnswerCalifornia's.
A wine from Napa County was rated best for both the white and the red wines.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_Paris_(wine)?oldid=1381415241
Space and gadgets
- 9
Which company was founded on April 1, 1976?
easy
Hint: Its logo is a fruit.
AnswerApple.
Apple celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2026.
Source: Apple Newsroom https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/03/apple-to-celebrate-50-years-of-thinking-different/
- 10
What was the price of the first Apple computer, the Apple I, when it went on sale in July 1976?
medium
Hint: Six hundred and something, one digit over and over.
Answer$666.66.
Steve Wozniak said he just liked repeating digits.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_I?oldid=1382304301
- 11
On July 20, 1976, NASA's Viking 1 lander touched down safely on which planet?
easy
Hint: The fourth planet from the Sun.
AnswerMars.
It began sending back the first images from the planet's surface.
Source: NASA https://science.nasa.gov/mission/viking-1/
- 12
Viking 1 landed on Mars on the anniversary of which other landing?
hard
Hint: People walked on it on July 20, 1969.
AnswerThe Apollo 11 Moon landing, seven years earlier.
The landing had been planned for July 4 but was delayed to find a safer site.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_1?oldid=1383180137
- 13
NASA's first space shuttle, rolled out on September 17, 1976, was named after a starship from which TV show?
medium
Hint: Its captain was James T. Kirk.
AnswerStar Trek.
Fans wrote to President Ford asking for the name Enterprise; it had been planned as Constitution.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Enterprise?oldid=1383150300
- 14
Which supersonic airliner began scheduled passenger flights on January 21, 1976?
medium
Hint: Its name means "agreement" in French.
AnswerConcorde.
British Airways flew it from London and Air France from Paris.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde?oldid=1383026099
- 15
Which museum opened its building on the National Mall on July 1, 1976, with a signal from a spacecraft orbiting Mars cutting the ribbon?
medium
Hint: It is full of planes and rockets.
AnswerThe National Air and Space Museum.
President Gerald Ford spoke at the opening.
Source: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum https://airandspace.si.edu/press-kit-2026-gallery-openings-and-50th-anniversary
- 16
Which home video tape format did JVC introduce in Japan on September 9, 1976?
hard
Hint: Three letters; it beat Betamax.
AnswerVHS.
The first VHS machines reached the United States in mid-1977.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHS?oldid=1380042374
Sports
- 17
Which city hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics?
easy
Hint: A city in Quebec.
AnswerMontreal.
They are still the only Summer Olympics held in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Summer_Olympics?oldid=1381210631
- 18
At the 1976 Olympics, Nadia Comăneci scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics. Which country did she represent?
easy
Hint: A country on the Black Sea.
AnswerRomania.
The scoreboard had not been built to show a 10, so her score appeared as 1.00.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadia_Comăneci?oldid=1379227350
- 19
Which team beat the Dallas Cowboys 21–17 in Super Bowl X in January 1976?
medium
Hint: Their city sits where three rivers meet.
AnswerThe Pittsburgh Steelers.
Lynn Swann became the first wide receiver named Super Bowl MVP.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_X?oldid=1379958209
- 20
Which team swept the New York Yankees in four games to win the 1976 World Series?
medium
Hint: A team from Ohio.
AnswerThe Cincinnati Reds.
It was the height of the team called the Big Red Machine.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_World_Series?oldid=1379212773
- 21
Which American figure skater won Olympic gold at Innsbruck in 1976, and set off a craze for her wedge haircut?
medium
Hint: Her initials are D. H.
AnswerDorothy Hamill.
She came second in the figures, then won both the short and the long programs.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Hamill?oldid=1370834992
- 22
Which two NFL teams played their first season in 1976?
hard
Hint: One plays in the Pacific Northwest, one in Florida.
AnswerThe Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The NFL had added both teams in 1974.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers?oldid=1383303617
- 23
In 1976 four ABA teams joined the NBA. Name one of them.
hard
Hint: One of them plays in Texas.
AnswerThe Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets or San Antonio Spurs.
The two other ABA teams still playing, the Kentucky Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis, folded.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABA–NBA_merger?oldid=1381483658
- 24
Which team won the 1976 NBA Finals, after a triple-overtime Game 5 against the Phoenix Suns?
medium
Hint: A team from New England.
AnswerThe Boston Celtics.
Game 5 is sometimes called "the greatest game ever played" in NBA history.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_NBA_Finals?oldid=1358340955
- 25
Which American boxer won light welterweight gold at the 1976 Olympics and later won world titles in five weight classes?
hard
Hint: He shares a nickname with the earlier great, Sugar Ray Robinson.
AnswerSugar Ray Leonard.
His first professional fight came in February 1977.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Ray_Leonard?oldid=1380569651
At the movies
- 26
Which 1976 boxing film won Best Picture at the Oscars?
easy
Hint: Its hero runs up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
AnswerRocky.
Sylvester Stallone wrote it and played Rocky Balboa; John G. Avildsen directed it.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky?oldid=1382841709
- 27
In Taxi Driver (1976), which actor plays the cab driver Travis Bickle?
medium
Hint: He also played the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II.
AnswerRobert De Niro.
Martin Scorsese directed it. "You talkin' to me?" is its most quoted line.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_Driver?oldid=1382539908
- 28
All the President's Men (1976) follows two Washington Post reporters uncovering which scandal?
easy
Hint: It is named after a building in Washington.
AnswerWatergate.
Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman play Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_President's_Men_(film)?oldid=1381038080
- 29
Which actor won Best Actor for Network (1976), the first actor to win an Oscar after his death?
hard
Hint: His surname is a small songbird.
AnswerPeter Finch.
He had died of a heart attack in mid-January, before the ceremony.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49th_Academy_Awards?oldid=1378179519
- 30
In Network (1976), what does the newsman Howard Beale get viewers to shout from their windows?
medium
Hint: They are angry, and they have had enough.
Answer"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"
The line made Beale "the mad prophet of the airwaves" in the story.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_(1976_film)?oldid=1381839947
- 31
The 1976 horror film Carrie was made from the first published novel of which writer?
medium
Hint: He later wrote It and The Shining.
AnswerStephen King.
Sissy Spacek plays Carrie White, a shy girl bullied at school.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_(1976_film)?oldid=1383219611
- 32
What is the name of the boy at the center of The Omen (1976)?
medium
Hint: It starts with D.
AnswerDamien.
Gregory Peck plays the father who comes to fear him.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omen?oldid=1382736073
- 33
In the 1976 remake of King Kong, which New York building does the ape climb at the end?
hard
Hint: Twin towers in Lower Manhattan.
AnswerThe World Trade Center.
The producer wanted the newly built towers for the climax from the start.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong_(1976_film)?oldid=1378316400
On the radio
- 34
Which Wings song was Billboard's number one pop song of 1976?
medium
Hint: Its title says what some people sing too many of.
Answer"Silly Love Songs".
Paul and Linda McCartney wrote it; it spent five weeks at number one.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silly_Love_Songs?oldid=1378560756
- 35
Which live double album was the best-selling album of 1976?
medium
Hint: The performer's surname is in the title.
AnswerFrampton Comes Alive!
The English musician Peter Frampton spent ten weeks at number one with it.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frampton_Comes_Alive!?oldid=1367224278
- 36
Which Stevie Wonder double album came out on September 28, 1976?
medium
Hint: Its title has a musical word in it.
AnswerSongs in the Key of Life.
"I Wish" and "Sir Duke" from it both reached number one.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_in_the_Key_of_Life?oldid=1381731634
- 37
Which Eagles album was released on December 8, 1976?
easy
Hint: Its title song is set in a hotel in a West Coast state.
AnswerHotel California.
It came out on vinyl, cassette and 8-track.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_California_(album)?oldid=1382845419
- 38
Which ABBA song, released in Sweden in August 1976, became the group's only number one hit in the United States?
medium
Hint: "Young and sweet, only seventeen."
Answer"Dancing Queen".
It topped the charts in 15 other countries too.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_Queen?oldid=1380284161
- 39
Which two singers took "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" to number one in 1976?
medium
Hint: One of them wrote "Rocket Man".
AnswerElton John and Kiki Dee.
It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_Go_Breaking_My_Heart?oldid=1381890956
- 40
Which New York punk band released its first album, named after itself, on April 23, 1976?
hard
Hint: "Hey! Ho! Let's go!"
AnswerThe Ramones.
The album opens with "Blitzkrieg Bop", one of the band's best-known songs.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramones_(album)?oldid=1380195590
- 41
What was the name of the Band's farewell concert in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day, 1976?
hard
Hint: A dance, and the final one.
AnswerThe Last Waltz.
Martin Scorsese filmed it.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Waltz?oldid=1373503894
On TV
- 42
In the sitcom Alice, which began on CBS on August 31, 1976, at which diner does Alice Hyatt work as a waitress?
medium
Hint: It is named after its grouchy owner.
AnswerMel's Diner.
The show is set in Phoenix, Arizona, and is based on Martin Scorsese's 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_(American_TV_series)?oldid=1382844320
- 43
Laverne & Shirley, which began in January 1976, was a spin-off of which sitcom?
medium
Hint: The Fonz was in it.
AnswerHappy Days.
Laverne and Shirley capped bottles at the Shotz Brewery in Milwaukee.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laverne_&_Shirley?oldid=1381838743
- 44
Which brother-and-sister pop duo began their own variety show on ABC in January 1976?
medium
Hint: She was "a little bit country", he was "a little bit rock and roll".
AnswerDonny and Marie Osmond.
Donny was 18 and Marie 16, the youngest hosts of a TV variety show until then.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donny_&_Marie_(1976_TV_series)?oldid=1368587444
- 45
Which puppeteer created The Muppet Show, which began in 1976?
medium
Hint: He was the voice of Kermit the Frog.
AnswerJim Henson.
The show was taped in England and shown around the world.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Henson?oldid=1381985314
- 46
Which three actresses played the original Charlie's Angels in 1976?
hard
Hint: One of them had a famous feathered hairstyle.
AnswerKate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith.
John Forsythe was the voice of Charlie, the boss viewers never saw.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie's_Angels?oldid=1376981834
- 47
In 1976, who became the first woman to co-anchor a network evening news program in the US?
medium
Hint: She later created The View.
AnswerBarbara Walters.
She co-anchored the ABC Evening News with Harry Reasoner.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Walters?oldid=1380212735
- 48
Which spin-off of The Six Million Dollar Man began on ABC on January 14, 1976?
medium
Hint: Its heroine had bionic parts, like him.
AnswerThe Bionic Woman.
Lindsay Wagner played the title role.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bionic_Woman?oldid=1381147092
Money, food and shopping
- 49
The $2 bill came back on April 13, 1976. Whose birthday was that?
medium
Hint: He wrote the Declaration of Independence.
AnswerThomas Jefferson's.
Jefferson is on the front of the bill.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_two-dollar_bill?oldid=1381434122
- 50
Which painting is shown on the back of the $2 bill reissued in 1976?
hard
Hint: It shows the men who drafted a famous 1776 document.
AnswerJohn Trumbull's Declaration of Independence.
It replaced the earlier picture of Monticello, Jefferson's home.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_two-dollar_bill?oldid=1381434122
- 51
The Bicentennial quarter, dated 1776–1976, shows what on its back?
medium
Hint: He keeps time for marching soldiers.
AnswerA colonial drummer.
The half dollar showed Independence Hall, and the dollar the Liberty Bell against the Moon.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bicentennial_coinage?oldid=1374818588
- 52
Which jelly bean brand was first sold in 1976, at an ice cream parlor in California?
medium
Hint: It rhymes.
AnswerJelly Belly.
The first flavors included Very Cherry, Root Beer and Licorice.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelly_Belly?oldid=1373139460
- 53
Price Club, a warehouse store founded in San Diego in 1976, is part of the history of which chain today?
hard
Hint: Its name starts with C.
AnswerCostco.
Costco and Price Club agreed to merge in 1993; Costco's own first warehouse had opened in Seattle in 1983.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco?oldid=1382526640
Use this set at a birthday party
Read a question, allow thinking time, then invite an answer. At a 50th birthday party in 2026, play the guest of honor against the room: they answer each question alone, everyone else answers together, and the side with more right answers wins. Anyone born in 1976 was a baby that year, so for the years they remember, add a round from the 80s.
Timer and team scores
8 turns × 60 seconds = 8 minutes of play, plus instructions and breaks.
60
Pause whenever the group needs more time.
Team Lime's turn
Team Lime: 0
Team Violet: 0
Team Tangerine: 0
Team Sky: 0
Team Lemon: 0
Team Bubblegum: 0